An Otherworldly New Year
by StarlitDuck
Summary: Rosalina decides that she is going to put on a New Year's show at Peach's Castle. Little does she know that the Shadow Thief, Popple, is up to no good.
1. The Shadow Thief

**AN: Hey guys. This story is based on a request from my "Rosalina's Intergalactic Circus" collaborator. Once again they wish to remain anonymous, but I just want to thank them for sharing their ideas.**

**Also, I know this is a little late for a New Year's special. I am sorry about that; something's got in the way.**

Chapter 1 The Shadow Thief

Normally, when Popple entered the Shadow's Hand bar, he went out of his way to announce his arrival to all the other thugs filling up the establishment. After all, who wouldn't want to see him? He was Popple, the Shadow Thief! He was the most brilliant crook known in the Mushroom World. Everyone knew his name, and every thief aspired to be like him.

This time, however, he came in quietly.

Popple entered the room so quietly that no one noticed. He entered so quietly that when he went to sit at the bar, the bartender was completely shocked.

"Oh my goodness!" he said. "It's Pop…"

"Shhh!" Popple shushed the bartender. "I don't want anyone to know I'm here, see."

The bartender stared Popple in the face, and it came to his attention that Popple was wearing a black riding cloak. This gave him a shadowy appearance, one that really complimented his title.

"Why not?" the Bartender asked.

"No reason."

"Come Popple, you and I are best friends. Please tell me!"

Popple thought about it before shrugging nonchalantly.

"Tell you what, Jared. You get me a drink, I'll give you my secret, see?"

The burly human smiled and got Popple a glass of his usually; hard Chuckola Cola. This drink was even harder to come by than regular Chuckola Cola. Popple stared at his reflection in the drink's pale surface.

"I had trouble stealing stuff 'glass' year, see?"

The cola fizzed and turned a bright magenta. Popple swallowed it in one gulp, and Jared looked at him.

"You had trouble stealing stuff?" he asked as he fetched another glass of the famous soda. "Why is that?"

"I 'can' not say," Popple said as the drink fizzed again. Popple stared at it before taking another sip. "I think I'm just in a slump, maybe?"

"A slump, eh?" Jared said with a chuckle. "Well, we certainly have those every once in awhile."

Popple sighed and took another gulp of his drink, getting rid of about three quarters of it. Jared rushed to get him another glass.

"But I'm the Shadow Thief, see? I'm not supposed to get into slumps."

Jared nodded as he placed the drink down on the bar top.

"Well, at least you didn't get caught," he said.

"I suppose," Popple said with a shrug. He looked at the clear soda and sighed. "Jared, do you have a soda based pun?"

Jared thought about this before smiling.

"Well, I am going on a 'sip' to the beach next week," he said.

The drink fizzed again, this time turning a deep crimson. Popple smiled.

"Many thanks, see," he said. As he took a sip, Jared leaned over the bar.

"Do you wish for me to help you?" he asked.

Popple laughed.

"You? You can't even steal candy from babies!"

"True," Jared said. "But I can give you advice."

Popple scoffed.

"I don't need advice."

Jared smiled mischievously.

"Oh, alright. So you're satisfied with going from the shadow thief to the shadow joke?"

Popple stared at him menacingly. His yellow eyes glowed with fury underneath his raven black mask.

"I am not a joke," he growled.

"Not now," Jared said. "But you will be if you fail to do what you do best."

Popple stared at him then let out a sigh. It sound weary and exasperated.

"Fine. What is your plan, see?"

Jared eyes sparkled wickedly as he grinned at the shadow thief.

"Well, I heard through the grapevine that there is going to be a big celebration up near Peach's Castle. It is going to celebrate the new year."

Popple raised an eyebrow.

"A new year's celebration? At Peach's Castle?" He scoffed. "How am I supposed to break into Peach Castle? Sure, those snooty aristocrats might have something, but that place is bound to have a few guards."

Jared laughed.

"If by guards you mean incompetent morons then you would be right on the mark. But that is not the kind of party that I am talking about. The whole kingdom is going to be there."

Popple perked up at the sound of that.

"The whole kingdom, you say?"

"Yes," said Jared. "The Castle doors will be open to the public, and there will be a ton of stalls set up."

"Hmm. I see, so it is a festival," Popple said. His rubbed his chin in consideration. Then an evil grin spread across his beanish, conniving face. "And if everyone is there…"

"Yeah," Jared said. "It is going to be a thief's playground!"

Popple cackled.

"This is perfect!" He stood up on the stool that he was sitting on and threw aside his cloak. Everyone in the bar gasped in unison when they saw who was among them.

"It's the Shadow Thief!" someone exclaimed. Popple laughed.

"Look upon me, palookas," Popple shouted. "For I am about to make history!"


	2. Happy Happy Holidays

**AN: I just want to make this clear so that there is no confusion. This story,a long with Polari's Origins and Rosalina's Intergalactic Circus, are NOT part of the Super Koopalings canon. I just wanted to make that abundantly clear.**

Chapter 2 Happy Happy Holidays

Rosalina loved the holidays; she loved them to no end. The senses of nostalgia, joy, and togetherness always made these special occasions such a treat for her. She wanted to share those feelings with everyone else. The only problem? She was terrible at doing it.

Take Christmas, for example. Rosalina had wanted to celebrate Christmas for a long time. She had gone out of her way to dress up for the occasion. She could vividly remember the red and white outfit that she had worn, completely with a jingle bell brooch that twinkled every time she walked.

Rosalina had asked all of her friends what they had wanted for Christmas. Once she compiled the list, she had used her magic to make all of the gifts appear in a sparkly, turquoise bag. With the bag slung over her right shoulder, she had gone down to the Mushroom World to deliver the presents to her friends. Of course, she couldn't just sneak in via the front door; that would be too obvious. No, she had decided to sneak in another way: through her friends' chimneys.

Now, everything had gone relatively well. That is, until Rosalina got to Peach's Castle. Before she had gone down Peach's chimney, she had decided to light her cigarette. Rosalina had started smoking cigarettes when she had put on a circus for her friends, and she had found herself incapable of stopping. But that was okay. Rosalina was immortal anyway. Besides, it's not like smoking had caused her too many problems.

At least, it hadn't until that Christmas Eve night. In her sparkly gift bag was a collection of bob-ombs. That is what Peach had wanted for Christmas; bob-ombs. At a cursory glance, Rosalina found this to be an odd choice. However, when she thought about it, she realized that Peach could use the bombs to prevent a kidnapping. Yep, the princess was definitely someone who needed deadly weapons in her life.

As Rosalina snuck her way down the princess's chimney, she had a cigarette in her mouth. The cigarette holder was an icy blue, and it had beautiful snowflake patterns elegantly etched on the side. On top of which, a bright, cerulean flame was dancing at the end of the cigarette, and little twinkles of ash fell to the floor like snowy crystals.

Rosalina got down the chimney in no time flat. She took a puff of the cigarette holder, and sparkly snowflake shaped smoke ring escaped from the blazing blue tip. She smiled and carefully got the bob-ombs out of the bag, being carefully that she didn't ignite them.

Unfortunately, she was not careful enough. A spark fell onto one of the bob-ombs. Once she saw that the fuse was becoming shorter and shorter by the second, Rosalina fled to the chimney. Before she could start climbing up, the bob-omb went off, sending her zipping up the chimney and into the night sky like a firework. She vanished with a twinkle when she got into the stratosphere, presents rainbow ing down over the frosty Mushroom Kingdom.

Rosalina tried with all of her might to forget about that cursed event. Unfortunately for her, that was not the only example of a holiday that went wrong. There was also that time that she had hosted that Thanksgiving. Rosalina had invited all of her friends from all over the galaxy to come and enjoy the feast. She had instructed every single one of them to bring a dish, so that way they could all participate in the grandest potluck ever known.

There were some many scrumptious dishes, ranging from the traditional turkey from all sorts of alien dishes. There was a pudding that was glowing neon green, a vegetable that smelt of rose perfume, and a dish that resembled a cross between caramel and mint flavored ice creams.

Rosalina just couldn't help herself. When it was finally time to begin eating, she had started stuffing her face. The more food that she put into her mouth, the faster she got. Faster, faster, and faster still. She was going so fast that she could beat even the most professional speed eaters in a race. Every was staring at her in both awe and shock. They had not expected such a voracious appetite from such an otherwise elegant lady.

By the time that she was finished, all of the dishes on the table were gone. Even the plates and bowls that had been used to serve them seemed to have miraculously disappeared. Then, Rosalina elegantly wiped her mouth and got out a particulaly big, fat cigar with a glowing orange tip. A pumpkin smell filled the room.

The staring at Rosalina turned into glaring at Rosalina. Rosalina chuckled sheepishly before she heard a distressed coo escape from her stomach. She looked at her torso and instantly felt like throwing up.

"Excuse me," she said, and rushed out.

Those were just two examples of ways that Rosalina's holiday celebrations had gone terribly wrong. That was why Rosalina was crossing her fingers and praying to any God there was that this New Year's Eve party went well.


	3. Anxious

Chapter 3 Anxious

"Are you okay?" Polari asked.

Rosalina and Polari were just getting ready to leave the Comet Observatory. Rosalina had a suitcase filled with all the supplies she would need for the event, including her ringmaster outfit from when she put on a circus. Rosalina, with the flip of the hair, turned to Polari with what she hoped appeared to be a cool and collected expression.

"Of course I am okay."

"Oh, alright," Polari said. "It's just...you seem a little...well, blah."

Rosalina snickered.

"I am the watcher and protector of the cosmos," she said. "I do not get the blahs."

"Right," Polari said sarcastically. "And my eyes are green."

Rosalina shot him a quick glare. Then, just before she could wave her wand to teleport the two of them to the Mushroom World, she saw the Starship Mario come into view. She could also see Lubba, happily steering the ship and singing what sounded like a sea shanty the entire time. He pulled up toward the Observatory and dismounted his ride, grinning a goofy grin.

"Hey there, Rose," he said happily. "Long time no see!"

"Yes, it has certainly been a while," Rosalina replied. She waved her wand, and a humongous bag of cheese puffs appeared in Lubba's hands. He gasped happily.

"Is this my payment?" he asked. "For babysitting your lumas?"

"Sure is," Rosalina said.

"Woo hoo!" Lubba said. He spun around in the air excitedly, looking a little disoriented when he finally came back down. "I love cheese puffs to death! Thank you, Rosalina!"

"Anytime, Lubba," Rosalina said, forcing a smile to magically appear on her face. She then turned to Polari. "Are you ready?"

"If you are."

Rosalina felt her stomach churn. She wasn't ready, not by a long shot. She wanted to do this show, of course. She just hadn't anticipated that she would get this nervous. She felt horrible, absolutely horrible. Perhaps that was the best case to make as to why she should do it; she needed to get it over with and conquer a fear. So, she took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

With one last wave in Lubba's direction, Polari and Rosalina were teleported down to Peach's Castle. Rosalina let out a breath at the sight of the majestic establishment.

"Peach's Castle is beautiful," she told Polari.

"You said that the last time we were here," Polari said with a snort of a laugh.

"Well, that statement still applies now!" Rosalina exclaimed. She then started to gracefully float up to the Castle's entrance. Before she could knock on the door, Peach opened it with a smile.

"Rosalina!" she said with sparkly eyes. She wrapped the Lady of the Shooting Stars in a hug. "I am so glad you're here!"

"Me too, Peach," Rosalina lied. "I can't wait for tonight."

"Oh, me neither," Peach said as she let her aquamarine clad friend loose. "I have been looking forward to you putting on another show ever since you put on that circus!"

Rosalina laughed nervously. Her stomach was doing three sixties. Why was this happening to her? She wasn't like this when she put on the circus that the princess was referring to! What happened to the calm Rosalina? What happened to the cool, collected, and composed princess that everyone knew so well?

"Me too," Rosalina said. This was another lie, one so blatant that she could practically smell its falsehood. She cast a glance at Polari and saw that he was frowning at her with his icy blue eyes. It was almost as if he was telepathically trying to tell her to get it together.

"Well, since you're here," Peach said, "I have some people that have been anxious to meet you."

Rosalina laughed inwardly at Peach's word choice. Anxious. How ironic.

"Who...who are they?" she asked. Peach beamed.

"Why don't you come in and see?"


	4. So Many Peoples

Chapter 4 So Many Peoples

Peach was giggling like a little girl as she led the space princess into the throne room of her castle. Rosalina was ignorant to the reason why.

"What's so funny?" she asked, as the giggling wasn't doing much to help with her anxiety.

"Oh, nothing," Peach said. "I'm just really excited. I have the best feeling about this event, and I hope that you are feeling the same way."

Sweat started to form on Rosalina's brow.

"Uh, yeah! I do actually!"

Rosalina heard Polari grunt from behind her. As she turned to him, she could see that his eyes were shooting daggers straight at her face.

"You're lying! I know it!"

Rosalina shushed her luma friend just before Peach opened the door to the throne room. Rosalina gasped when she saw what rested on the other side. There were more people here than she could shake a stick at!

"Rosalina!" a majority of the people in the room shouted.

"Woah," Rosalina said. Her stomach was starting to churn in the most unpleasant way possible. She cast a glance at Peach, who was grinning from ear to ear. "This...there are a lot of people here."

"I know!" Peach exclaimed excitedly. "Come on, I want to introduce you to a few."

Peach took Rosalina by the hand and started to lead her into the crowd. To Rose, this was like being taken into the deep sea during the storm of the century. She looked to Polari for help, even though she knew that there was really nothing he could do. Or wanted to do, for that matter.

"Okay, Rose," Peach said as she led Rosalina over to a goomba. This goomba had a pinkish skin tone, a blonde ponytail, and was wearing an explorer outfit. "This right here is my good friend, Goombella."

"I am so excited to meet you!" Goombella said with an excited smile and inflection. "I have heard legends of the Lady of the Shooting Stars, but I never actually got to meet her!"

"Well, I'm here now," Rosalina responded with a vocal tone she hoped sounded happy.

"Yeah you are!" Goombella exclaimed. Out of her pack she pulled a notebook and a pen. "Now if you don't mind, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Shoot away," Rosalina said. Goombella laughed heartily.

"I get it, cause you're the Lady of the _Shooting_ Stars!" She wiped a tear from her eyes with her left foot. "Oh man. Okay, question one: have you ever seen a black hole?"

Rosalina smiled.

"Why yes," she said. "Yes I have!"

"Awesome!" Goombella said as she jotted down some notes. "Okay, question two: have you ever been _killed_ by a black hole?"

There was a moment of silence as Rosalina let that question sink in.

"Uh, no," she finally said.

"Oh," said Goombella. "Well, that's a shame."

Goombella wrote down more notes.

"Okay, question three…"

"Uh, thank you Goombella," Peach interrupted. "But I want to introduce Rosalina to the other guests." Peach took Rosalina by the arm and started to lead her back into the crowd. "Sorry about that, she just gets a little excited sometimes."

"It's alright," Rosalina said. "I definitely understand what it is like to feel excited."

Peach nodded as she lead Rosalina to the outskirts of the room. Here Rose could see seven fairy like creatures. Each one was a different color of the rainbow and had had a golden crown on their head.

"Rose, these are the Sprixie Princesses," said Peach.

The Sprixie Princesses all started to fly around Rosalina.

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" they said in unison.

Rosalina couldn't help but giggle.

"Aww, you guys are adorable," she said.

"We know," said the purple sprixie princess.

"We pride ourselves for our cuteness," said the orange one. "It is pretty much our one defining trait."

"Well, that and our excitement," said the yellow. "We have travelled all the way from the sprixie kingdom just to watch your show!"

"And we hope you don't disappoint," the red sprixie princess said. "Those plane tickets were expensive, after all."

Rosalina felt sweat form on her brow again.

"Well," she said quietly. "I hope I don't disappoint either."

Peach laughed, the sound of her voice very pleasing to the ears.

"Don't worry, Rose," she said with a glowing smile. "You won't disappoint. I know that you'll do great."


	5. Pep Talk

Chapter 5 Pep Talk

After Peach had introduced her to a few more guests, Rosalina was finally starting to have enough. She asked the princess if she had a room prepared for her, and Peach smiled in response.

"Of course I do. Would you like to see it?"

Rosalina nodded furiously. The princess looked at her in concern, but did not ask her if there was anything wrong. This was most likely due to the reason that she could physically see that Rose needed time to herself. So, Peach led Rosalina and Polari out of the throne room and into the hallways.

As the three of them walked across the luscious red carpet, they did not exchange any words for a while. However, Rosalina could see that there were all sorts of beautiful paintings all over the walls. She admired them, allowing herself to get sucked into the art. For a moment, just a miniscule moment, Rosalina forgot entirely about her anxiety. That is until she heard Peach's voice.

"We're here."

She opened the pink painted door for Rosalina, and Rosalina was in awe. The walls were a midnight blue and had glowing star stickers decorating it. The rug and bedspreads were a beautiful teal, and there was a glowing, soft light hanging from the ceiling, creating a very calming, soothing atmosphere. Peach beamed at the Lady of the Shooting Stars.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

Rosalina slowly stepped into the room. Even the temperature reminded her of the warmth of the observatory.

"I...I don't know what to say," she said.

Polari approached Rosalina, all the while with a humorous look being displayed in his eyes.

"How about a thank you?" he said with a drop of sarcasm.

Rosalina chuckled.

"Right. Thank you, Peach."

"You are most welcome, my friend," Peach said. Her cerulean eyes were sparkling. What they were sparkling with Rosalina could not tell, but there was definitely a light in them. "Now, dinner is in about an hour or so."

Rosalina smiled nervously, remembering the disaster of a Thanksgiving that she had hosted.

"That's okay."

"Are you sure? I mean, the chefs are preparing a really good meal."

"Peach, really, it's okay. I'm not that hungry."

Peach looked at Rosalina in concern. Then she nodded.

"Alright. So I suppose you are going to want to stay here for the rest of the evening?"

"If that is possible, yes."

Peach looked thoughtfully at the princess. Rosalina supposed that it should be a good idea on some level to talk about her anxiety with the Princess. After all, they were good friends, weren't they? However, Rosalina ultimately decided against it. Peach was anticipating this event too much; she was counting on Rosalina. If Rosalina showed she was worried, then Peach would inevitably get worried. And considering that she was the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, the place where literally everybody who was attending the event was coming from, Rosalina did not want that.

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Rose."

Peach slowly closed the door. Once she was sure that the princess was far away, Rosalina sighed.

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

Rosalina sat down on her bed. Not only were the blankets extremely beautiful, but they were also extremely soft. Rosalina felt like curling up in a little ball and going to sleep right here and now.

"Oh man," Rose heard Polari said as he floated to the other side of the room. "I get a doggie bed?"

Rosalina sat up and saw that there was indeed a doggie bed in the corner. She giggled as Polari scowled.

"Well, it's better than nothing," she said.

Polari huffed.

"Easy for you to say. You're Not the one who has a boatload of dignity to lose."

Rosalina directed her gaze toward the floor.

"Because I lost it at the Thanksgiving last year."

Polari glanced up at the Lady of the Shooting Stars.

"Is that why you're worried? The stupid Thanksgiving party?" He floated up and sat in Rosalina's lap. His body felt very warm against Rosalina's skin. "Rose, that was just one event."

"There was also that Christmas."

Polari shrugged.

"Well, yeah, I suppose. But Rose, you are the protector and guardian of the cosmos. You managed to help Mario and Luigi save the universe, put on a circus, and save my life without breaking a sweat. Rose, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. You are one of the most talented people I know when it comes to performance art."

Rosalina looked into Polari's icy blue eyes. There was not a drop of sarcasm in them; Polari was being entirely earnest. Rosalina smiled at him.

"Is that really how you see me?"

"Well, yeah," Polari said. "I don't admit it very often, but I do legitimately think you are wonderful, Rose. I mean, like I said, you saved my life. You can't do that to a person and not expect them to like you on some level."

Rosalina felt her cheeks grow warm, and the blush that she showed was so hot that Polari giggled. He then floated up so that he was staring directly into her eyes.

"Rose, look. I know that you can do this. I have lived for over a thousand years, and I have never been so certain of a fact as I am of this one. Believe me. You. Can. Do. This. You don't have to be afraid."

Rosalina smiled warmly at her friend.

"Thanks, Polari."

Polari smiled with his eyes and wrapped Rosalina in a hug.

"Hey, it's what I am here for," he said.


	6. Pick Pocket Partners

Chapter 6 Pick Pocket Partners

The moon was shining brightly over the Mushroom Kingdom, almost as brightly as it did on the night of the Star Festival. Because the moon was shining so gloriously, Popple could see pretty much every citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom from where he stood. His greedy eyes glazed over the Toads, Goombas, and Humans who populated Toad Town, as well as the area in front of Princess Peach's grand castle.

_Oh, this is going to be amazing_! Popple thought.

With the cover of his shadowy cloak keeping his beanish appearance in hiding, Popple started to traverse through the village. The crowds barely took notice of him, mostly because he decided to stick to the shadows. He noticed that there was a multitude of vendors, taking advantage of the New Year's Eve Festival and selling a plethora of divine treats. Popple's eyes stopped upon a toad who was selling what looked to be a glazed, special version of sticky buns. He would be his first target.

Popple walked up to the toad. The vendor greeted him with a cheery smile and eyes that were glowing in the moonlight.

"Howdy, sir," the vendor said. "You enjoying the New Year's Eve Festival?"

"Oh, very much so," Popple replied. The vendor's smile grew even brighter.

"You don't look like your from around here. Where do you come from?"

Popple hesitated, for he did not know how much of his identity he should reveal, if any at all.

"Rogueport," Popple finally said.

"Oh, I love Rogueport!" The vendor said. "There is such a sense of mystery to the town. Have you seen the mysterious thousand year door?"

"Yes, I have," Popple replied. This, believe it or not, was not a lie. He had actually seen the thousand year door the last time he had travelled to Rogueport. He had desired to obtain the treasure that was rumored to be inside, but unfortunately, he could not find anyway to get in. Popple kept this incident in the back of his mind as one of his biggest failures.

"Well, anyway, would you like a sticky bun?" asked the vendor.

Popple smiled, displaying his glittery white teeth.

"Oh, yes I would, see!"

The vendor smiled and turned around. While his back was turned, Popple noiselessly snuck into the cash register. He pulled out every single gold coin in the register and packed it away in his bag. Then, he replaced them with play coins that he had stolen from a store once. The vendor was total unaware of the crime that just occurred as he turned back toward Popple.

"Here's your sticky bun, sir," he said. Popple handed him one coin, and the vendor smiled. "Have a happy new year!"

Popple grinned.

"Oh, I already am, see?"

With that, he walked away, munching on the sticky bun in the process. He noticed some Toads talking on the street.

"Didn't you here? I heard Rosalina is going to be putting on a New Year's Show for the festival!" one said.

"Oh, that sounds awesome!" the other replied.

_Princess Rosalina is here!_ Popple thought gleefully. He could only imagine what kind of treasure she carried on her. He had heard that her crown was made of jewels that could only be found in the depths of space. Her wand was also extremely powerful. Popple would love to get his hands on that.

"It looks like I will have to pay the princess a visit," Popple said out loud.

With that, Popple started to make his way toward Peach's Castle. However, as he did, he heard the unmistakable sound of jingling coins. What's more, he had felt the weight of his cloak be shifted a little bit. He looked and saw none other than Waluigi trying to steal the money he had just picked up.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing, see?" Popple asked. Waluigi cackled as he displayed the money bag.

"I'm looting your treasure! Now so long sucker; I'm off to buy a moped!"

Waluigi ran off. Popple, however, was not willing to lose the money he had worked so hard to steal.

"Hey! Get back here, see!"

Waluigi swerved in between the members of the crowd, but Popple managed to keep him in his line of sight (Waluigi was pretty tall, after all). Popple kept his eyes locked on him as he disappeared into the shadows of an alleyway.

"You aren't getting away that easily!" Popple shouted.

Finally, Popple caught up to Waluigi, for he had stopped right in front of his partner in crime, Wario.

"Waluigi!" Wario scolded his partner. "I thought I told you to be discreet!"

"I was! This guys was just too perceptive!"

Popple snorted back a laugh.

"Well, of course I'm perceptive, see!" He threw aside his cloak, showing the two crooks who he really was. Wario and Waluigi both gasped.

"You're….you're…." Wario said.

"That's right! Poppe the Shadow Thief!" Popple said. Wario and Waluigi's tone changed immediately. They got down on their hands and knees, almost as if they were bowing before a king.

"I am so sorry, sir!" Waluigi said. "I...I had no idea!"

"Yeah; Waluigi is a dummy! Please punish him instead of me!" Wario said.

"Yeah, I…" Suddenly, Waluigi turned back to Wario with a shocked glare. "Hey, I thought we were in this together!"

"That was a lie!" Wario said. Waluigi gawked.

"That was a…? YOU MADE ME SIGN A CONTRACT!"

"Well, this is the Shadow Thief we are dealing with; your contract is now expired."

Wario and Waluigi started to bicker and argue back and forth. Poppled rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to punish you two palookas," he said.

Wario and Waluigi looked at him in shock.

"You're not?" they asked in unison.

"No," said Popple. He started to grin a sinister, evil grin. "In fact, I think I have use for you."


	7. Sneaky Stealing

Chapter 7 Sneaky Stealing

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Waluigi.

Popple just laughed.

"Of course I am. Every idea I have is a good one."

Wario and Waluigi still looked a little hesitant, and Popple would be lying if he said their feelings were unfounded. He too was feeling hesitant. After all, Peach's Castle had never been successfully broken into before (unless you counted the kidnapping missions that King Bowser went on, but really, who counted those?). However, he didn't see his unease as a hindrance so much as a source of motivation. If he could successfully pull off this heist, then he would be held as the greatest thief in the Mushroom World. Then the Shadow Thief will be taken seriously again!

"Okay, huddle up," Popple said. Wario and Waluigi crouched down so they were completely concealed by the Bush. Popple started to whisper so that no one else could hear him. "The plan is simple. We sneak around to the back of the castle. I have brought along a sleeping draft so that we can knock out the guards, see." Popple displayed the little pod like container that held the dark blue gas. "After that, we sneak up the window. Then, you two sneak around the castle and grab as much treasure as you can."

"That's it?" Wario said. "Man, I would have expected more from the infamous Shadow Thief."

Popple rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes, the most ingenious plans are the ones that are the simplest, see."

Waluigi laughed.

"You didn't have time to come up with a good plan, did you?"

Popple sighed.

"No I didn't." Before Wario and Waluigi could comment, Popple interrupted them. "Alright, alright, I don't need you to read me the riot act, see? And if I hear you two make one backhanded remark towards me or my plan again, there will be serious consequences, see."

Wario and Waluigi's tone changed completely. They both looked at the Shadow Thief with fear in their eyes.

"Alright, sir," they both said in unison. Popple smiled, making sure to display his teeth to the two crooks.

"Excellent."

Popple then directed his attention toward the castle. It was about three yards away at this point. Popple could see that there were only a few Toad guards with spears standing in front of the door. He reasoned that, if he and the Warios stuck to the shadows, then he wouldn't have to use the sleeping draft. His theory was correct when he found that there were absolutely no guards at the back of the castle. Popple cackled.

"Oh, this is too good!" he said while rubbing his hands together. "It's almost like they want us to sneak in!"

With that, Popple reached into his pack and got out a rope. He threw the rope up at the open window. Once it was safely secured, he and the Wario brothers started to climb up it. Wario, who was closest to the ground, growled when Waluigi kicked him in the face accidentally.

"Watch it, you imbecile. That's my face."

"Oh, is it?" Waluigi said smugly. He then kicked Wario, this time intentionally.

"Oww!" Wario exclaimed as he rubbed his nose. "Now look what you did! My nose is starting to swell!"

"Really?" Waluigi asked with a sadistic laugh. "I can't tell; your proboscis is so huge already!"

Wario growled again, then tried to grab Waluigi's foot. The two brothers were now in a fight, with Wario using his fists and Waluigi using his feet. Popple looked down at them angrily.

"Will you knock it off!? We could get caught, see."

Wario and Waluigi immediately stopped with the shenanigans and started climbing again. When they climbed through the window, Popple was relieved to see that no one else was in the hallway.

"Alright," Popple said as he put the rope back in his pack. "Make your way to the treasure rooms. And be discrete about it, see!"

Wario and Waluigi both nodded.

"Where do you plan on going?" asked Wario.

Popple grinned smugly.

"I have a very specific target in mind."

With that, the Shadow Thief was off. He snuck like a snake down the halls. Along the way, he grabbed anything that looked interesting and stuck it in his pack. Thankfully, he didn't encounter anyone else. That is, until he got to the hallway of the west wing. There, he heard the door opening, so he hid around the bend. He could hear a smooth, melodic voice talking to a slightly rougher one.

"I am almost ready, Polari," said the smooth voice. Popple looked around the corner and tried to contain his gasp. It was none other than Princess Rosalina herself!

"I would hope so," said the black Luna who was accompanying her. "Just remember to take deep breaths, okay?"

Rosalina nodded as she started to make her way down the hall. Popple grinned and started to make his way toward her door. He smiled happily when he saw her wand laying right on her blue sheeted bed.

"Oh, mama!" Popple picked up the wand and laughed giddily. "I did it!"

"Hey!"

Popple gulped and turned around. He saw a Toad guard, bearing a spear.

"What are you doing in here?"

Popple felt a pit fill his stomach. Looks like the great Shadow Thief had been caught!


End file.
